Koh Yao Yai Island• Thailand Photo Diary

My sincerest apologies for how long it has taken me to finally get around to sharing more of my 10 day trip throughout Thailand last month. It's truly no joke that this time of get is utter insanity - especially in our household because Nick and I are BOTH December babies.

So let's get into it!

If you haven't read my part 1 recap, I recommend taking a minute to peek at that first! I left off last sharing my adventures in Chiang Mai, the first stop on the itinerary. After an amazing stay in such a gorgeous city, I head out for my next stop - an island stay in Phuket!

I flew from Chiang Mai, all the way down south to the southern part of the country, Phuket. From there, I hopped in a shuttle that drove me across to the eastern coast where I transferred to a water shuttle (speedboat) that delivered me to the island of Koh Yao Yai. I spent 4 night on the island at a place called Santhiya Resort. The entire property is built with a tree that is considered very sacred to the region, teakwood. Each villa sits on top of the lush hillside of the island, looking out onto one of the most spectacular views I've ever witnessed.

Because the US dollar goes so far in Thailand, I was able to really "splurge" on my island stay (which was still insanely inexpensive). The rooms we're some of the nicest I've ever seen or stayed in. There was even an outdoor bathtub on the private balcony!

How amazing is the view from my balcony? And this was taken on a gloomy day! See all those gorgeous green trees outside? Monkeys native to the island live in them! You can hear them chit-chatting to one another at night.

The room was stunning. It's impossible to describe the fantastic scent of the teakwood and serenity of the atmosphere they created.

These puffed-rice cookies were UNREAL. I kept finding them at our hotels in every city I visited but found out that they're a more traditional treat, so was not able to find them in the grocery store for purchase. I guess I'll just have to figure out how to recreate them at home!

Wait until you see the rest of the resort...

By the way, that's not me on the rock. But how amazing is this pool?! I could,'t possibly fit the whole thing into one photos so here are a few different viewpoints. The rock waterfall is often where you can find wild monkeys playing and hanging out in the evenings. In the shallow part of the pool, there's a shelf that holds lounging seating all within little boats - the perfect place for relaxing.

THIS is where they serve breakfast.... can you believe it?! Seated again a glass and teakwood counter, facing the coast of Phuket and two tiny standalone islands. I ate here every morning, you guys. It was indescribable.

Near the building where breakfast is hosted is one of their infinity pools - a more quiet and adult place for those looking to lounge in peace and serenity.

Stunning, am I right?! I spent quite a bit of time here taking in the view from the end of the infinity pool.

Alright, let's head down to the beach.

Santhiya has they own private beach next to their dock. It's decorated with memory foam lounging furniture and mats. I spent a great deal of time on the beach and in the restaurant just behind it, facing the beach. I ate lunch and dinner every day at the restaurants by the beach. The only time I left the resort during my stay was when I took a 7 hour excursion (through the resort) to the Phi Phi Islands! I'll be talking more about that day in the next Thailand blog post. There was simply too much to talk about, and I felt like it deserved a seperate post from this one!

On my last night here, there was a massive tropical thunderstorm. The thunder and lightning shook the villas and lit up the sky, while the pounding rain came down. It was slightly terrifying but completely normal for this part of the world. After a few minutes of being shaken up, it started to feel calming and almost peaceful.

It was such an awesome stay at Santhiya - vastly different from the insane hustle and bustle of Chiang Mai. This part of the trip was very serene and tropical in an entirely different way than the rest of the trip. I really hope to bring Nick here someday. It was a phenomenal place, with so many unbelievable sights and experiences to be had.